Surf Coast Times & Bellarine Times

A call to arms has been issued to Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast residents: keep our beaches and towns tidy. Clean Up Australia Day is the perfect vehicle to do so.

Now in its twenty-second year, the day sees in excess of half a million people collect more than 16 tonnes of rubbish across Australia.

Chairman and founder Ian Kiernan AO is calling on people to register themselves as volunteers, as well as sites in most need of a clean up on March 4.

“We’re urging all Australians to take notice of clean up hotspots in your local area and let us know where they are – whether you can help out on the day or not,” said Mr Kiernan.

One group of like-minded clean up volunteers need not worry about getting their clothes dirty – just their birthday suits. Jenni Gregson and her team of naturists will spend a few hours cleaning Point Impossible Beach with nothing more than the yellow bag provided to them upon registering.

“We’ll be cleaning a one-kilometre stretch of (Point Impossible) beach in the nude, but we’ll be sure to put some clothes on when we clean the dunes and car park area,” Ms Gregson said.

“It’s the third year I’ve been involved as site supervisor and it’s grown a lot in that time. This year I’m hoping we’ll have about 20 volunteers on the day.”

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC) is also putting together a clean up team that will focus on the Jan Juc foreshore area.

“We work constantly to keep our beautiful coast clean, but we need your help, and Clean Up Australia Day is the perfect way to make a difference,” GORCC liaison manager Jane Rowlands said.

Remarkably, research has found that up to 80 per cent of the rubbish collected in past years is recyclable.

Entries are also open for the 2012 Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria Awards. There are three categories: clean beaches; sustainable cities; and tidy towns.

“For thirty years these awards have been encouraging Victorian communities to look after their local environment and be proud of the community they live in,” South Barwon MP Andrew Katos said.